February. The blinky, nutmeg glamour of the holidays is long gone. Everyone is saying how they regret wishing for a “real” winter after some pretty mild ones over the last few years. Nature answered with a vengeance. Both types of winter reveal that we need to take better care of our planet and our climate. These regular mood swings of Mother Nature are rough.

Oh! Hey! Hi! Didn’t realize this thing was on.

Let’s talk Al Pacino for a minute. Or, more precisely, let’s watch Al for a minute-twenty-nine.

He probably needed a swig of Dunkaccino to wash down all the scenery he just chewed.

I’m guessing (praying) that he did this bit as a favor to a friend. Whatever else you have to say about this, AL. SHOWED. UP. 100%.

I thought a lot about “showing up” this month.

Of the many parenting lessons we try to impart on our children, my husband and I emphasize that SHOWING UP in life is a big deal. Be present. Be there. Fully attentive. Celebrate. Share. Struggle. Cry.

Together.

In person.

And if it’s you in need? Show up for yourself.  ASK for some support, some company, something salted caramel. Do the things you need to do.

We’re 16% of the way through 2019. I took a peek at my annual goals. I guess I’m supposed to revisit them often, but I think they like to busy themselves and their house wasn’t very tidy, so I called ahead.

The Good:

• I worked for 90 hours in February – not bad for someone doing this as a part-time gig when I’m not saving the world, by which I mean making waffles.
• I made a lot of waffles.
• I’m reading a lot
• I’m working on two books! (see below)
• I’m slowly clearing out all the stuff that no longer serves.

The Bad:

• I’ve not been practicing music.
• I’ve not had as many meetups with my friends as I’ve wanted. (Hello sick kids!)
• I have exercised exactly twice so far in 2019, and have eaten ice cream exactly 700 times so far in 2019.

 

It’s all ok. This is not failure. I just need to reconsider what is working for me and what is not. The ice cream works for me. My skinny jeans do not.

For the rewrite, I’m still working through plot holes and spent most of this last week doing deep dives into my main characters other than my protagonist. Reframing the story from their point of view helps me stay honest and make sure they are fleshed out and not overly cartoonish

I’ve also officially begun co-writing a different book…which is an entirely different genre and a project with a completely different vibe. That will certainly help keep the projects separate!

All this means I’ve fallen behind on writing and submitting shorter pieces. I wish I were faster at it all, but I find that I’m a slower writer than I used to be. Exhaustion? Distraction? Concentration? Improvement?

Who knows, but what is important is that I signed up for a CLASS starting next week which will most definitely leave me with less time to work on essays, so good call on my part.

February Highlights:

My reading is scattered these days – there really is something about February, isn’t there? – and I’m currently in the middle of five books. I pick up whichever one matches my mood and/or is closest.

This past month the book that stayed with me long after I turned the final page was A Writer’s Space.

My kid got me hooked on The Zoo, which is a surprisingly informative, sweet show about the Bronx Zoo.

Here are some fantastic internet finds from February:

What’s in a name?

King. Queen. Checkmate.

If/when it all gets to be too March, grab a Dunkaccino, gird your loins (or don’t, your loins, your choice) and blast some Sara Bareilles: